PHOENIX — The Northern Arizona Suns will make room for another player in training camp this week as rookie forward Derrick Jones Jr. was assigned by the Phoenix Suns to their NBA D-League affiliate in Prescott Valley on Thursday afternoon.

This is the first assignment of the campaign to Northern Arizona for Jones, who has yet to appear in a game for Phoenix this season.

Jones, a heralded prep recruit coming out of Philadelphia, remains protected on the parent club’s roster after they signed him to an NBA contract last week.

Undrafted out of UNLV, Jones averaged 11.5 points per game for the Runnin’ Rebels as a freshman last season after averaging 19.2 points and 10.1 rebounds per game for Archbishop John Caroll High School in 2014-2015.

At 6-foot-7, 190 pounds, Jones joins the Suns in time for Sunday’s preseason game against the Los Angeles D-Fenders at the Prescott Valley Event Center.

There is no limit for how many times Phoenix can recall or assign Jones to Prescott Valley.

Tipoff against the D-Fenders is scheduled for noon.

Brian M. Bergner Jr. is a sports writer and columnist for The Daily Courier. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Periscope and SoundCloud at @SportsWriter52, or on Facebook at @SportsAboveTheFold. Reach him by phone at 928-445-3333, ext. 1106.